GERRYMANDERING AIN’T THE SAME AS JERRY-RIGGING!

GERRYMANDERING AIN’T THE SAME AS JERRY-RIGGING!

(FRAZER CHRONICLE)

(All the News That Nobody Else Will Print)

 

It’s true, although the words are kind of close, they have nothing in common, I thought maybe Jerry-Rigging might have been a slang term for Gerrymandering, but my assumption wasn’t even close. Turns out that Gerrymandering deals with how political districts are made up…..geographically while Jerry-Rigging is about the same as cobbled together, in other words, like me, who doesn’t really have a clue on fixing something that is broken, will tie it together with bailing wire, a bandage, and some Duct Tape.

 

However, Gerrymandering can, and usually does take on a whole different meaning in how voter districts can be formed, or altered during the government census by which ever political party is in power. It sounds illegal at the most and morally wrong at least.

 

Jerry-Rigging is benign and oft times generates laughter when, whatever project is taken on turns out badly for the attempted fixer. I know it seems as if I’ve been a certified Jerry-Rigger most all of my life, at least according to my wife.

 

The word sinister comes to mind whenever anybody talks about political Gerrymandering, which is politically rearrangement of voting districts so as to favor the political party that happens to be in power. And make absolutely no mistake, both political parties, Republican and Democrats, rely on and use this tool to gain an advantage whenever possible. The object is to create as many districts as possible in areas of known support and to concentrate the opposition’s strength into as few districts as possible.

 

The origin of the term, though by no means the origin of the practice, was in such arrangements made by the Massachusetts Jeffersonian when governor Elbridge Gerry was in office, In office from 1810 to 1812, this Republican-Democrat saw little need for political parties, but was a champion of voter districts, so what our politicians practice in the world of the 21^st century has deep roots in the countries past history.

 

Voting is a citizen’s only hammer of power that is legally in use today, I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely not in the mood for a revolution, or even standing on a street corner with a protest sign. What Gerrymandering does to the political landscape of a state is to make it uncompetitive, when one party can redistrict known strongholds into a weaker area, ensuring the continued stay in power by the incumbents.

 

CHECKS AND BALANCES

I’m not talking about your checkbook, I’ve bounced a few checks in my time, it made my life miserable for a while, but once I got the funds into my account to cover the overdrafts, and paid the penalties, I resumed my life as if nothing had happened. That is not the case with government however, when politicians play around with voting districts, it’ll take 10 years before things can change, and then only if the party in power is voted out of office.

 

Our government is run quite the same as my checkbook; however it seems as if they are writing checks that aren’t being repaid. In Wisconsin where I’ve taken up residence, we’ve gotten a Republican governor, a Republican House, and a Republican Senate. There is no partisanship, it’s all cronyism, and it’s leading the state down a seldom traveled road.

 

The United State’s form of government depends on separate political views from the different branches to meld together and mesh, ideas and practices of either belief into acceptable rules for the good of the whole, not a particular party.

 

Me, I take stuff from more than one party, actually more than two parties, if I see something that I feel will be good for the country, my region, state and city…..and me. I’ve learned through my life’s experiences that sometimes, I might not like something, but can see how it’ll be good for the whole, and I’ll adjust my vote accordingly…..I’m not sure that many people operate that way.

 

GERRYMANDERING

I have a better understand of the term, and how it effects how government operates, mostly unfairly…..and that’s just plain wrong. What Gerrymandering does is to take the power of the vote right out of our hands and into the hands of the whore politicians.

 

It really is funny, politicians think that they operate like a preacher, or a priest or some other religious figure, but in actuality their operating like whores. They want your vote, they seek the power that that vote will bring, and they’ll do anything to keep the playing field tilted as much as possible in their favor. Many of these people, these politicians, are really to be pitied; they remind me of aging sports figures who need their ego stroked on a daily basis.

 

No Gerrymandering is not good for a state, a district, it diffuses the constituency and it makes for one hell of a lot less voice…..something that many, many politicians like…..its called silence. We’re almost as much to blame as these scruples-less jerks that WE elect into whichever office that they occupy.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!